The landslide victory of the Kansas City Public Schools’ bond issue has prompted lots of local head-scratching.
How did the campaign pull off such a lopsided victory?
There are a few explanations: a smart campaign, a rattled national political environment, the improved performance of the schools. All played a role in the outcome.
In this case, though, and in many others, the simplest answer may be the best.
Local voters, it turns out, are very smart.
They study the issues carefully. As a result, they almost always make the right decision.
Sadly, local politicians act as if they believe the exact opposite.
They claim voters are “confused” at the polls, or “misinformed” by special interests. They think voters lack the policy brilliance they, and they alone, possess.
As a result, they spent countless hours trying to overturn the will of the people, or block its expression altogether.
It has to stop. Voters are not stupid. They know what they’re voting for, or against. The people should be heard, not ignored or overruled.
Public’s common sense
A quick look at the recent record reveals the public’s good, common sense.
School bond issues, and general bond issues, passed throughout the area, surpassing the supermajority requirements of Missouri law.
The April 8 results were, for the most part, a ringing endorsement of the need for quality local services.
Those results were not an aberration. Over the years, Kansas City voters have routinely backed significant spending for improvements: streets, streetlights, sidewalks, jails.
Voters said yes to a new airport terminal. They backed the revitalization of downtown. Kansas Citians have endorsed taxes for East Side development. They’ve provided funds for public safety and indigent health. They’ve approved taxes for mass transit. They’ve overwhelmingly supported the earnings tax. Jackson Countians have given law enforcement more tools to fight drugs. In 2006, they said yes to taxes for rebuilding the Truman Sports Complex.
